Ikana Dynasty
by ZeldaFreak701
Summary: The story of the rise and fall of the Ikana Kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

His royal ruler Igos le Ikana sat on his newly constructed throne. "This is perfect," he said in his usual dominating manner. "From here I'll be able to keep an eye on this so-called impenetrable temple." He stroked his chin as he leaned on the armrest beside him. His two loyal guards Badru and Ras, always ready for attack, stood beside him. His other servants, and soldiers of his army, were against the back wall. "Captain Keeta, is your new abode to your liking?"

Captain Keeta, general of the Ikanian army stood from being on one knee. "Quite nice, sir," he said. "It is a beautiful setting and my army will be settling in nicely. How is your sister adapting?"

Igos sighed. "She doesn't like being far from home. I don't understand why, she's never had many friends to begin with. I suppose she's grown a bit attached to her old training grounds. Quite a feisty little one for being only eleven."

"Twelve," came a voice. A young girl with a red cape and small white tunic came into the room through the circular door. "I'm twelve...remember?"

"Hara, didn't I tell you to wait and be addressed before you came in?"

"What does it matter? There's no one here..."

"Our army's commanding captain is here!"

"It's quite alright, your Highness," said Keeta. "Hara and I know each other too well to have such formalities." He turned to face Hara. "How are you liking it here?"

"I don't like it," she said simply. "It's so much smaller than what I'm used to. There's no breathing room."

Igos crossed his legs with an annoyed attitude. "Father instructed me to take base here by the Stone Tower. This place may seem like an empty field, but inside, there is said to be an impermeable tribe that refuses to join our nation. It only makes sense to have a base here to monitor activity."

Hara kicked a pebble near her foot. "Yeah but I don't see why you had to bring me," she said looking down.

Igos clenched his teeth. "My thought's exactly."

Captain Keeta could see where this was going. "Hara-" he cut in, "Why don't you call Halima to take you around the new castle?"

Hara shook her head. "She's not here right now. She's preparing her quarters."

"Then I'll take you around and see myself out." He bowed and had Hara followed him out. The door closed behind them.

"He may be the heir apparent, but he's still not ready to rule. Hopefully our father's reign will last long enough so his senses will come to him. Say what you want...I hate the man," said Hara.

"He's 27 years your senior. You're bound to have some differences," said Captain Keeta. They walked to the exterior of the castle, just before the outer wall. She playfully hopped over the small moat that connected to the back side of the castle. "Look at that." He motioned to the wall. "You're completely safe here. No one here will harm you, my little sheriti."

She folded her arms. "Seems like a selfish reason just to leave...I mean why do we need to take every bit of free land? We have control of the entire continent and no one is trying to take it from us. We have balance and no violent tyranny. Why go to such lengths to spoil it?"

"You're a smart one. But I'm afraid that your family hasn't been completely honest with you. This place is not only a home base to merely monitor activity, but rather a hiding spot. This is the most remote place in the whole Kingdom. There is much tension back in your home. As of now, we need to make sure your father's only heirs are safe in case something is to happen."

"Still seems pretty selfish to me. If this 'tension' really wanted something to be done then they'd do it regardless of the defense."

"Not this defense." Captain Keeta. "This wall is as impenetrable as the Stone Tower that sits just next to us. But not for long. We're going to get in there someday. And when we do, there will be no more rebellions. It stands as the last stronghold against our nation. Should anyone make their to power, they could instantly wipe out all life as we know it here. That is why we must get in there first, to prevent misuse."

Hara approached the door and touched it with her small hand. The cold stone almost froze her hands. "What's it like out there? I wasn't allowed to see where I was when they brought me here..." said Hara.

"It is a beautiful sight, Princess. A large field and a waterfall that is just positively amazing." Keeta saw the young woman's anxiety. "And I'll take you down there someday."

Hara jerked her head to face Keeta. "You mean it? I can?" Her face lit up.

"Yes...but not now. There are certain things to attend to. Why don't go back inside and look for Halima. I'm sure she'd be delighted to help you set up your new training grounds."

"Oh Halima! I almost forgot! Did you want to see her?"

Keeta blushed. "Oh...I think now isn't the best time. You go find her and I'll come back later."

Hara hastily bowed and left. As she ran in she heard the large stone doors close behind her. In the main room she saw Halima, her most trusted tutor since her birth, came through the right door. A very thin and limber woman, Halima had no trouble intimidating anyone that tried to hurt her Princess. She wore a beautiful white dress with a red shawl and always carried a lantern with her.

"Princess, I have wonderful news!" she said. "I just received a message from the messenger hawk from your father. The Royal Composers, Sharp and Flat, have decided to come live here. They believe the fresh air will improve their heath."

"That's wonderful!" Hara always admired the Composer Brothers. They composed many lullabies for her when she was younger. They were two of the few people she missed when she left. "You just missed Keeta."

"Captain Keeta was here? Why didn't he say something?" she looked to the side a little sad.

"Don't worry, he'll be back. He said he was going to take me to his new home. I'll finally get to go out and see the land!"

Halima put down her lantern to straighten out her dress. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Princess. It is very difficult to get down to where Captain Keeta resides. I think it's best to just stay here and focus on your studies. You may be the Queen of this kingdom one day."

"Not if Igos has anything to say about it."

"Your brother means well. He is responsible and will be good for this kingdom should anything happen to your father."

"It's my first night here and I'm already hating it." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it. Now let's take you to get your rest. Shall I sleep outside your door tonight?"

"No thank you. I'll keep my weapon next to my bed." It wasn't too much of a weapon; it was just a small sword. It was all she was allowed to have.

"Are you sure? Will you be able to handle it?"

Hara nodded. It didn't take long to find her room. The castle was a significant downsize from her old home. Yes it was safe, but why did it have to be so tiny. She lay in her bed for a long time. She just couldn't sleep. She just stared at the ceiling. She remained like that for a long time.

After a few hours, still awake, Hara swore she heard a sort of...shuffling. She couldn't tell if it was from outside or inside her room. She sat up trying to get a better listen, but it didn't help. She quietly lay back down and closed her eyes. The sound wasn't there anymore. She waited another hour but still nothing. She closed her eyes, but didn't fall asleep. Not until the first light of dawn.

When Hara awoke she could hear the hysterical cries of the people from the interior of the manor. She got up and judging from the position of the sun, she had only been asleep for a couple of hours. She got to her feet and walked outside to the room just before her brother's throne room. Halima was there waiting for her.

"Princess, go back to your room!" she said. "You must not know what has happened!"

"But-" Hara began to speak until her hand was taken by Halima back to her room.

Her room seemed darker than before but she didn't care to find out why but she lit a few candles so she could see better. She turned around and demanded that Halima tell her what has happened. "Do not concern yourself with it. We are trying to figure out ourselves. Just stay in here and rest up, you look tired."

Halima turned to leave and when Hara tried to follow her out, Halima would not yield. "Hara, no. You can't go out there. I'm going to stay here with you until everything is sorted out."

Hara frowned. Princess or not, even Igos would side with Halima that she needed to stay out of the way. But she needed to know what the panic was about. Halima sat on a nearby chair. "Why don't we go over some of your studies while we're here?" she asked.

"I won't be able to concentrate while all of this is happening," said Hara.

"Then just concentrate on something else, because I can't let you leave here…please forgive me, Princess." If Hara truly wanted, she could easily subdue Halima…at least if she wasn't expecting Hara to strike. And even then, Halima was not easily defeated. Besides, Hara could never bring herself to attempt to hurt her. This was the perfect time to truly 'adjust' to her new home.

She'd never pulled this particular trick before, and certainly none on Halima, but she devised many clever schemes back home in order to escape from the confines of her room. "Fine, I guess I'll go to sleep," said Hara.

Hara took a candle by her bedside. Halima didn't seem to be paying much attention to her. She was reading a small book off of one of Hara's shelves. Hara quietly took a small bowl of water beside her bed for soothing scratches from the rough floor and put in some red grass she had brought from home. She ground it up quietly.

"Princess, what are you doing?" Halima asked.

Hara was so into what she was doing she was a bit startled. "I was just…scratching my arm," she said.

"Were you bitten by an insect? Do you want me to look at it?" Halima started to get up.  
"No!" It came a little too suddenly. "I'm fine. I'll be going to sleep now."

Halima sat back down and continued reading. That was a close one. Halima set up a little stand above the candle's flame and rested the concoction on top. It began heating very quickly. Hara lay down on her stomach in her bed and buried her head into her pillow. Her pillow had a white cover placed on top of it and it wrinkled under her head's weight.

It was uncomfortable, but she couldn't bring her head up. Not yet. Finally she heard Halima's head hit up against the wall lightly. Hara took the cloth over her pillow, tied it around her mouth and nose, and then sat up. She lifted it momentarily to blow out the candle under the sleeping mixture.

She eased herself by the door. "Sorry, Halima," Hara said quietly as she stepped out of the door. She removed her cloth. The sleeping mixture would wear off momentarily since it was not being heated anymore. She didn't have a lot of the red grass left, so she'd be careful not to use it often.

When she entered the main room, it was completely cleared out. It was an odd sight since there were so many people living in the manor. What a waste! How could everyone have cleared out so quickly? She went towards the throne room, but at the door, the guard promptly stopped her.

"So Igos has instructed you to force me to announce my arrival in the throne room has he?" said Hara with an attitude.

"Yes Princess. But regardless, no one is to enter the throne room at this time. There is treachery among us," said the guard.

"Let me through!" Hara tried to force herself in, but the guard pushed her with enough force that could've knocked her down. Regaining her balance, she straightened out her red cape. She spit out a piece of hair that came to her mouth. She growled and stormed off. There had to be another way in. She would've gone back into her room and gotten the sleeping grass, but she knew there had to be another way.

She walked off, out of sight and stood behind one of the four pillars in the center room. It always seemed so dark in this castle. There were hardly any windows but she could still see. It made the castle have a sort of gray glow on the inside.

She hadn't been in the castle for long, but maybe she could devise a way to hear what was going on. She really didn't want to, but she had to go back into her room. Halima was still sound asleep. Her deep, even breathing made that very clear. She slowly pulled her sword out from under her bed. It wasn't a very well crafted one, but she put it to use in her training.

She walked through the other door on the other side of her room. It led her to a very large and empty room. It had a few pillars about, but she mainly used them, and the floor space, as her training grounds. She then went through the next door and found herself looking at a small stairwell.

This small room was mainly used as Halima's quarters. Mostly all it had was a change of clothes and a large cloth and pillow in the corner for a sleeping space. Hara wanted Halima to have the training room, but Igos refused to let a servant have quarters far more deserving than their station allowed.

She walked up the curved staircase and was met with another door that led to the roof. Keeta had let it slip only once that Halima's quarters led to a passage that led to the roof. Her purpose there was to protect anyone from either coming in, or, when she was needed, a quick escape route to the outside to go on the offense or get Hara out safely. However, obviously the door that led to the outside was obviously not meant to be opened easily. It was far more heavy than the others.

She readjusted her feet and used her leg strength to nudge the circular door. She was almost about to give up but then she felt it budge. Gaining momentum, she was able to roll it a sufficient distance so she could squeeze through. When she got to the outside, the door rolled back to its original place. No matter. She wouldn't dare go back in the same way.

When Hara climbed up on the ledge, she was very disappointed that she could still not see over the wall. There was a small rectangular opening above the wall. She scoffed. What good was a strong wall if someone could just easily climb over it? She rolled her eyes.

She hugged the gold grates beside the ledge and stepped cautiously on the blue and yellow-striped brick. She stood right in front of the door, in between her and door was three pillars. Mainly for decoration she figured. She walked on and took a left where the ledge turned. She climbed the golden grate and knew she was standing above the foyer of the palace.

She walked forward and climbed the tall wall that was the palace room. It took several attempts. She needed to find good holes in the brick to hold her up and finally she made it to the top. She stood at the top of the highest point of the castle. She still couldn't see much over the wall, but she saw a little. She was able to see grass of green for miles. She could've sworn she felt the chill of ice wind and the smell of a beach. Oh how she missed home.

She went to the side. She had remembered very clearly the large square window openings in the throne room. She planted her sword in the in the wall and was able to lean on it over the window. She listened closely. Thankfully, the room was large and spacious enough to make a sufficient echo so she could hear.

She made herself very still. She could hear the voices inside. She recognized her brothers and Captain Keeta's. Among them, she assumed, were members of the army and physicians.

"I don't know what possibly could've caused this," came a voice. Oh how she wished she could've peered in and see who it was. But if she did, the sun's light would've caused her to cast a shadow into the room.

"Look at these slashes. They're very thin and precise. Whoever-or whatever-did this certainly knew what he was doing."

"There is no more damage to the body than the necessary amount needed to kill someone."

"So…these men were stationed outside of the Stone Tower?" she recognized Igos' voice.

"Oh, this is awful," she recognized Keeta's voice too. "My men were killed right from under me."

"This is a declaration of war!" Igos' voice flared. "Send a message to my father to send almost every man here to lead a massive invasion force. We will finally topple this tower!"

"It pains me to inform you, Prince Igos, that I have already requested that of your father and he has…" Keeta hesitated, "…denied our request."

Hara could hear Igos smash his fist down on the armrest even where she was. There was a long silence. "Prince Igos, he feels that it isn't a good use of the kingdom's army at this time."

"Oh and I suppose he'd think the same if he lived here? How does he know what is good for the Kingdom. The old bat barely knows the difference between black and white! As soon as the time comes, you can be certain that Stone Tower WILL fall, along with the lands that lie beyond the ocean."

"Let's go men," said Keeta. "Please arrange a proper ceremony to honor them." Hara heard his large footsteps heading towards the door. "I would like it if you'd please attend. These were my best men and were always loyal." He paused for a moment. "And please don't tell Hara."

His voice got so low and quiet she could barely hear him.

"Of course, my dear friend, it would be my honor," said Igos.

"At dusk then," said Keeta, suddenly with a sudden louder tone. She heard is customary foot stomp he often did when he saluted. The door closed with a loud thud that echoed throughout the room. The sounds caused Hara to lose her grip once. She gasped then was completely still. Did they hear her? She didn't hear anything downstairs. She quietly got up, took her sword out of the stone and ran down the wall. She ran quickly to the door, ran past her training rooms, and into her own room.

Halima was still sleeping. She quickly darted to her bed and lay face down as she was before. The exact moment she was settled, she heard the door open behind her. Halima jerked out of her rest.

"Halima, I am going to be out this evening. Please make sure Hara doesn't go anywhere," said Igos, his men behind him.

Halima nodded, "Yes your highness." She hastily got down on her knees.

Hara turned around, doing her best to disguise how out of breath she was. "What is going on?" she asked.

"It's no concern to you. I'll be out for a few hours at Captain Keeta's abode. It is nothing to be worried about," said Igos.

"Wait a minute, Keeta is my friend too!" If Hara had not overheard the whole conversation, she wouldn't have been bothered as much.

"Why don't you just go back to sleep? It should be easy for such a lazy princess." Hara growled. "I'll be preparing for my departure. You'll do well to do as you're told." Igos left. Halima got to her feet and looked at Hara. "Did we just take a nap?"

Hara shook her head. They were leaving at dusk. Maybe she could stow away on the stagecoach. But then there was still the problem with Halima. She would be watching her very closely.

"Yes Halima. You don't remember?"

Dazed, Halima slowly shook her head. She brushed off the dirt on her knees and straightened out her head piece. Her black locks that hung out of it were visibly tangled.

"I can't believe they won't let me go!" Hara shouted.

"Princess you know better than to go against your brother," said Halima.

"He hates me, I know it! So what if Keeta asked him not to let-" She stopped herself. "Not to let…me get involved with Keeta." Halima didn't seem to notice.

"Oh I wish I could see him too. I hardly do anymore." She gazed down at the floor sadly.

"Well why not go anyway?"

"Oh of course not. Your brother specifically told you to stay here and there is no way I'm leaving you."

"Perhaps let's just get something to eat. I'll continue my studies today." Hara was visibly tired from the lack of sleep. She spent the whole day thinking of a plan to at least attend the funeral for Keeta's men. Keeta was obviously hurt by their death and she wanted to do something to honor them.

After walking around a bit, Hara saw Igos' traveling men entering his throne room. Knowing her brother, she had just enough time to get her plan formulated. It was a reasonable hour. She informed Halima she was going to bed. Halima was a bit skeptical, but allowed her Princess to sleep when she wanted.

Halima put herself outside of Hara's door to make sure no one could come in to harm her. It didn't bother her. Once inside, she set up clothing in her bed so that it would appear she was sleeping soundly. A technique she had yet used. She walked through the second door, through her training room, picking up a rope on the way, and out on to the roof again.

It wasn't until she climbed all the way up the stairs that she was feeling the fatigue of limited sleep. She shook her head a few times just to clear the blur in front of her eyes. She went to the left again as she did before. She didn't climb up to the throne as she did before, but went the back right of the castle. She tied the rope to the gate.

It took a little bit of effort climbing down. She wasn't used to using a rope. She mostly just used the vines that were around her castle. She made it to the bottom and peaked behind the wall on the end. She saw Igos' carrier in front of the large wall that led to the outside.

A few guards were around it, waiting for their king to arrive. They were conversing among themselves but Hara didn't bother herself with what they were saying. She went behind the covered carrier and climbed inside behind the sheets. Beneath her were cushions of deep purple and red.  
She quietly pushed a few of them aside and opened the compartment used for hiding valuables when traveling. It wasn't meant to hide people. Hara was getting bigger as she grew up. By next year, getting in there would be impossible. But she managed to squeeze in comfortably. She shut the door on top of her.

She waited a long while. Outside she could hear the guards talking still, but the wood that surrounded her muffled anything they could be saying. Finally she heard the voices of Ras and Badru coming outside. Her brother soon followed and she felt Igos' weight on top the carrier.

She felt herself getting lifted and heard the loud sound of the wall opening in front of her. Even if she was outside, she couldn't see it. She could only imagine what a sight it must've been. Even painted orange by the setting sun, the sight must've been beyond words.

They traveled a long while. The motion of the people walking changed to something smoother, like floating on water; but only for a few moments. After a few changing motions, they stopped and Hara felt herself getting set down. She felt Igos' weight get off of her and heard the voices fade off. They had most likely walked away.

After waiting a few more moments, Hara slowly opened the trap door. She hesitated a moment, hoping that none of the guards had stayed behind to watch over the royal carrier. She poked her head up. There weren't any. She got out fully, stretched her legs from the cramped space.

She pulled back the translucent canopy and saw herself on a dirt path. When she looked up she saw a winding path. It was disappearing from the waning sunlight. Soon only spots of various lanterns were able to illuminate the path. She walked up cautiously. It was a long winding path. The tombstones were about, but past that, past the wooden fence in front of the rocks, were the people. Everyone but Keeta had their backs to her as Keeta gave the final words.

Keeta was looking straight at her from above the crowd. Hara stood up straight, not even trying to be stealthy. At least when her brother spotted her, she'd looked poised like she was supposed to. He didn't say a word. He didn't say anything. Why wasn't he saying anything? He looked back down. She saw the various tombstones already, but it seemed the eulogy was being conducted in front of his home.

Hara sneaked behind a large tombstone and listened to the words. "We are here tonight to honor the deaths of my most loyal men. Since this army's humble beginnings, these honorable men have given generation after generation of the most formidable warriors this Kingdom has ever known. I would like to acknowledge the presence of our crown prince, Igos le Ikana."

The men about him knelt. Again, Ras and Badru were at Igos' side. Badru was built rather largely, while Ras was tall and lanky. The two were so different and often quarreled but always swore allegiance to their king.

"Do you have any words for them?" asked Captain Keeta.

"I believe your words were amply simple. I couldn't have put it better any other way," Igos said humbly.

And so began the ceremonial burning of their armor. Keeta often liked to keep emotional speeches short. He didn't like dwelling on the darkest side of war. It seems even the most war-hardened captain still couldn't stand the thought of the loss of a friend.

The flaming armor was carried by a stick to each individual tombstone. The composer brothers, Sharp and Flat, were also there. They played the honorable soldier song as their possessions were carried to their respective owners' resting place. It was the first time she had seen them since she arrived. At least she will be able to hear their soothing music.

Hara didn't move from her spot. She heard the music fade and eventually cease. It was too risky to go back to the carrier now. She peaked from behind the rock wall and saw Igos enter the carrier. "Hey does this seem lighter to you?" Ras asked as they walked off with the other men.

Keeta stayed behind. He made sure each one of his men had a personal message to the afterlife. Hara sneaked back to behind the tree. She then heard his footsteps coming along the path. His face held the expression of sadness and he didn't say a word. Even when he walked all the way up to his house (a very small house it seemed from the outside, as if only one person could live inside, and an arch to the left), he said nothing.

He stopped in front of the door. "Come in, Hara. I don't want you to catch a cold out here," he called from far across lawn. His voice was hard and unwelcoming.

Hara jumped up and ran after him. She entered the house and saw that there was more than what she thought to his home. The interior was a very small room. It had a desk with various papers on it. But directly across from the door was a blue staircase. He walked down it without saying a word.

Even after he disappeared, Hara remained. She was completely still. Did she make Keeta mad by attending? She heard from him herself that he didn't want her to go. She clutched and played with her red cape. She didn't know whether or not to go after him or just leave and find her own way back.

She must've been standing there for well over ten minutes. She shuffled in her white leather boots, but still didn't leave the place she stood. Finally, she turned around to go out the door, but was halted by the echo from downstairs. "Are you still up there?" called Keeta.

She paused and swallowed. "Yes," she said simply.

"Well come down here." The echo disguised the tone he used, but she imagined it wasn't anything warm. She walked down each step slowly. It curved in a circle and when she went to the bottom, she was greeted with a massive room. It was a beautiful blue brick but with designs that danced in her vision.

It wasn't the castle she now lived in, but it was just a beautiful. She saw him on the far end of the room where his bed was. It was on higher ground as there were small staircases on both sides of it. Even where she stood, there were steps on either side of her. Among the room were pillars with ladders leading up to them. Just like at Keeta's old home, there were most likely used for training, such as aiming a bow while on high air.

She walked down the left side and walked across the large room. She was making each pace deliberately slow. "Why did you come, Hara?"

Hara fell to her knees, the same way a servant or villager would when they apologized to a higher authority. "I'm sorry, Captain! I overheard your conversation through the door to the throne room. I wanted to attend to honor the men that were close to you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

"Get off your knees, Hara! It is not right to kneel in such a manner to someone below their station."

Hara merely just looked up at him. Her face was red from humiliation. "Get up!" With a thundering heart, Hara jolted to her feet from Keeta's powerful voice. Her lower lip was quivering. "Hara, I don't mean to lecture you like Halima, but do you understand the severity of what you've done? How do you think Halima will react upon seeing that you've escaped?"

Hara shook her head twice.

"Or what if someone had attempted to assassinate your brother?"

Hara shook her head twice.

"Or what if something had happened on the journey down to here?"

Hara shook her head twice, but more frantically. She bit her lip as a tear strolled down her face.

"I don't mean to be so harsh, but I've already lost many important to me. I asked your brother not to tell you because I didn't want to have to look at you during the ceremony and think what would've happened to you."

He stood so far away. Hara broke into a run, jumped on the higher ground Keeta stood and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea!" Hara sobbed. "I won't do such a thing again, I promise."

After a few minutes of drying Hara's tears, Keeta was back to his usual gentle self. They sipped tea and talked at a small table. The entire room was brilliantly lit with lanterns put atop the pillars. "I at least wish Igos would've asked you why you didn't want me to be there…" said Hara as she blew the vapor from atop her tea. "I honestly think he hates me."

"Oh don't say such things, Hara," said Keeta, holding an equal size cup, but with only three fingers because of his large hands. "I know your brother does. When he has been rough on you, does he not apologize? Or when he has taken something from you, has he not given you something even grander in return? Your brother does what he can for you."

"Yes, but one moment he's the meanest person on earth, but the next, when I'm not around, he indirectly becomes the nicest person. I have a feeling someone does it for him, without his knowledge."

Keeta drank the entire cup in one swig. "I assure you, that is not the case. I've seen it from you brother himself. He cares for you truly. But the way he presents it is questionable, I'll give you that."

Hara nodded. "At least we're on the same page. Oh how I hope he doesn't come to power anytime soon. Hopefully the attack on your men will die down and he'll forget about trying to take over the other continents."

"I fear for that as well. But if your brother comes to power, I'm sure he'll know just what to do to take care of this kingdom. I do no doubt him." Hara looked up and smiled. She always thought of Keeta as a brother. "Now why don't you get to sleeping? I'll take you back home tomorrow."

Hara set up a resting spot on the couch near Keeta's bed. He went to blow out all of the lanterns by climbing the ladders to each pillar. He took one lantern with him of course, to see where he was going, but then took the last remaining light to his bed. Hara saw from a distance that the light continued to burn.

It was a soft glow that reminded her of her old home. Oh how she missed it. She wished she could go back. Then she thought of Halima and how worried she would be when she awoke and saw that she wasn't there. Finally the light faded as her vision went black and she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When Hara's view came into focus, she recognized the blue interior of Captain Keeta's home. She sat up and saw Keeta still on his pedestal, writing at his desk. She walked over. Her hair felt oily and gritty since she hadn't bathed the previous night.

"Keeta?" she asked.

Startled, Keeta nearly dropped her feather pen. He faced Hara and rubbed his heavy eyes. "Yes, Hara?" he asked.

"How long have you been up?"

"I awoke not more than a couple hours since we went to sleep." He yawned.

Hara wanted to know what he was writing, but knew it wasn't her place to ask. "I need to get back to the castle."

Keeta nodded. "I've already sent for your travel."

"What? Why can't you just take me back?"

"I would if I could, but I am far too busy, my sheriti."

Hara scuffed her foot. "So it's not doubt that Halima is going to know. And now possibly Igos."

"Halima is just glad you're safe. I instructed her not to inform your brother. He is going to be preoccupied for now anyway."

Now that the initial anger was out of the way, Hara looked at Keeta again. He seemed to be grooming his hair. "Are you…meeting someone today?" asked Hara.

Keeta fumbled his red comb. "Why do you ask?" he said.

"This wouldn't by chance be for Halima, would it?" Hara playfully put her hands on her hips.

"Not in the least!" Keeta stood up straight, and then sat down slowly, realizing his outburst. "I just want to look my best is all."

A war-hardened captain grooming for the hell of it? Not likely. Hara may have been young, but she wasn't stupid. "Well all the same, why don't you show Halima your new home before I leave?"

Keeta beamed. Then he shook his head. "No, no. You need to go home and I have a lot of work to do."

"What are a few minutes? It won't take long….at least to anyone that cares…"

There was a bell that rang throughout the entire chamber. "Come, she's here." Hara and Keeta walked up the staircase up to the atrium of the residence. Keeta opened the door, and as predicted, Halima was standing there, gorgeous as ever, holding her lantern.

"Hara, we're going to have a talk later," she said in her gentle, but expected, stern voice. She faced Keeta and smiled. "Thank you so much for informing me, Keeta. I was worried sick about her."

Hara hid behind Keeta's large frame. "What's the rush? I don't have any studies today, and Captain Keeta would just love to show you his new home."

Keeta and Halima looked at eachother. "I suppose…a quick tour wouldn't hurt." Halima tilted her head flirtatiously. "Unless of course, Captain Keeta is too preoccupied."

"Not at all," he said, smiling. "Please come in." Hara watched Halima follow Keeta downstairs. The light from her lantern disappeared down the corridor. Amazing. Neither of them noticed that they left Hara. No matter.

She looked about the foyer. This seemed to be the place Keeta kept his books for leisure. All of the books looked rather thin. One seemed to be particularly thick though. She pulled it off the shelf. It didn't have a title, just a strange design on the front. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen. She opened the book and the language in which it was written wasn't anything she had ever seen.

She flipped through it. The text was made of a series of crossing dashes. There were a few illustrations in it as well. They were abstract, but incredibly detailed. There were horrid faces and strange designs all throughout. It almost became hard to hold the book anymore. She slammed the book shut and shook her head. She opened it up quickly, tore out a random page and slipped it in her tunic. She turned around and went out the door.

Now that it was daylight, Hara was able to really see Keeta's land. It was small but beautiful. The dirt path had been lined with beautiful blue flowers. She walked down the path, through the rock wall and saw the place where the soldiers were buried. She said a prayer for each one of them and then sat under a tree.

'Soon', she thought. Soon she'd see the world of which she was deprived. She'd never left the castle she lived in, and now, even at a new home, she was still denied freedom. She could have anything any girl could want, but she never had any real fun.

Was this what was good for the world? Her family's reign was not that of totalitarianism or cruelty. Those in charge of a certain territory listened to grievances. Anything that couldn't be helped there was brought up to her father's advisors. Of course there was always someone wanting to challenge their power. But they were taken care of. All of which avoided the death penalty. Her father was as wise as he was fair. He knew how people thought. He knew there was something that made them that way, not their fault.

But why didn't he see that leaving her home would hurt her? She missed it dearly. Well maybe not so much missed as she was afraid of being alone with Igos. He clearly didn't like her. Her father never paid much attention to the two's interactions because of their age differences. But if he only knew that Hara, on extreme cases, feared for her life. But it didn't matter anymore. She never was really good at predicting peoples' thoughts.

She heard a crash. It was faint and distant, but it was there. It sounded like a bomb of some sort. It came from the direction behind Keeta's house. She ran back up the property. To the right of the door was the white arch that began a dirt path up the hill. She dashed up it. The path curved with the mountain Keeta's house was built.

It led back to the top of the roof of Keeta's home. She could barely see it, but there was a small cloud of black smoke. By the looks of it, it didn't look powerful, just a normal rock bomb that many people carry around. That was odd. She wondered what was going on.

The air seemed fresher atop the roof. She sat cross-legged on the roof. She took out the book page. It wasn't any more readable than it was before. She turned it around in multiple ways. She flipped it around to the back, there was a small illustration of an orb was in the middle of the surrounding text. The whole book seemed to have been written by hand.

She couldn't think of a soul that would know of this text. Maybe when she got home, she'd be able to find some of Halima's books she used to tutor Hara and find some translation. She waited and grew impatient. What exactly were Keeta and Halima doing?

Hara awoke in the morning and while waiting, the sun moved directly above her. It had been hours and it was now midday. She spent the time about the property and at multiple times, she tried to read the page she had ripped.

Plenty of times she contemplated going back into Keeta's house but decided against it. She didn't completely mind being there. She knew there wouldn't be another chance to get out anytime soon. She savored each moment and didn't dare risk spoiling it by barging in on Keeta and Halima.

Still, she really wanted to see what the paper was saying. Maybe she should've taken the whole book. What if all she was holding was a mere account of some insignificant event? She wouldn't know unless she was able to find an interpretation. She looked the path. Despite all the time she was there, she didn't once try to find her own way home.

Finally after a time, Halima emerged from the home. Hara ran up to Halima. "Is it time to go back now?" she asked.

"Of course, Princess," she said. She couldn't seem to walk very straight as she approached Hara.

"Where's Captain Keeta?"

"Oh! He went back to sleep." She said even quieter, "probably won't be up any time soon…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Now your carrier is awaiting you.

"Carrier? Why do I need one? Can't we just go back up there together?"

"Princess it has come to my concern that we must not risk letting you find your way back here."

Hara snapped. "That's not fair! Keeta said I could visit any time I wanted!"

Halima raised her voice only slightly. "Maybe, but these times are too turbulent for them. I know he said any time, but the truth is, with the war and everything going on, he does not have time to take care of you. That's what I'm here for."

"This isn't fair! It's not like I wanted to come here in the first place!" Hara maintained silence all the way to the carrier that wasn't much farther down the trail. As usually, the opaque curtains about the carrier prevented her to see anything outside.

And when they didn't want Hara to see outside the curtains, they meant it. The one and only opening, the only material not nailed to the frame, was clasped hard down so that it could only be open from outside. She folded her arms and held a scowl as they carried her up to the castle.

She paid attention to the sounds she heard, but they were severely muffled. The light that entered the interior of the carrier was very limited. The thick red curtains allowed for the light to be a red tint. But it was still very dark and still hard to see. Curious, she took out the paper again. It was even more confusing in the dark.

There still wasn't anything readable about it. Why would Keeta have such a book? It simply didn't make sense. Outside she heard the faint sound of a rushing waterfall. It must have been the one Keeta described to her once. Oh how she wished she could see it. After a few more minutes of traveling, she felt the carrier come to a halt and be set down. She heard the large stone doors of the castle close behind her.

The material was drawn back and the light flooded into her eyes. Halima was at the foot of the carrier and held out her hand to assist her out but Hara slapped it away. She could tell Halima was hurt, but she was too angry to care. It was these situations that her age seemed to show the most.

Fuming, she went to her room. The entire castle was empty and silent except for the stifled discussions in the throne room. The castle was so small that the servants didn't even live there. They live outside the walls. Even servants had more freedom than her. She went to her left and went into her room. She reached to the tallest shelf of her books and tried to find some sort of translation for the paper.

However, to no avail was she able to find anything. Why was she becoming so obsessed with this translation? She remembered when she was looking through the book, something happened to her and she wasn't able to look at it. Like it just became too painful. It was like looking at a bright light: it hurt if you stared for too long.

Maybe that was why. If she could find what this book was talking about, she could find some sort of explanation as to why. She sighed. It was a failed attempt to look in her room. She wouldn't have anything that could give her a translation.

She took off her red cape and her white boots. She felt her dirty hair. Now that she thought about it, her clothing felt stiff and soiled. She decided to call a servant to prepare her bath. However when she went to go find her, Halima was there to see her.

"I'm going to take a bath," Hara said simply.

"I've already arranged for Beth to bring it to your room," said Halima. She was clutching her lantern rather tightly.

Hara nodded, turned, and went back to her room without so much as a thank you. Against better judgment, it was good that Halima sent for it. The servants like Beth and her sisters didn't speak their language very well. They were only there because they lived near the newly conquered lands. Halima was really the only one that understood them.

A few moments later, Beth came in with a tub and ran back and forth with buckets of hot water. Little by little she filled the tub and put in a soap crystal. She left Hara to her peace and Hara stepped in. She relaxed as the water about her soothed away the day.

She washed her hair and looked up at the ceiling. She now had a chance to really look at this place. It was so strange. The walls were surreal and depicted the figures of their beliefs. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched. She looked about. She thought she saw something, but whatever it was, it disappeared when she did a double take.

Maybe it was just her imagination. The strange paintings on the walls always puzzled her. They were nothing like the elaborate ornate designs back at home. Home. She thought it about it. She wondered how things were. Hard to believe that not more than four nights ago she was there.

***

"Princess Hara," Halima came in, "You and your brother are needed in your father's throne room."

Hara put down her book and put on her crown in her brown hair and red cape. She always needed to dress appropriately when she went before her father. She left her room and followed Halima through the massive corridors. Things had been tense as of late. Audiences with her father were rare.

She stood at the large doors that led to the throne room. A small piece of the blood red carpet that ran in the middle of the room was visible under the door. "What does my father want with me?" she asked, turning toward Halima.

Halima just looked at her and smiled. Her lower lip quivered and she saw a tear fall down her left cheek. "Halima-" The door was opened before she could finish the question.

Hara still wanted to know what was wrong, but she was forced inside the room. The throne was so far from the door. It took her a good minute to get just in front of it. Her brother, Igos, was already there. He stood at attention to their king. Their father was as wise as he was old. Hara never really wanted to think about it, but his remaining years on this earth could be numbered on one hand. Even so, his beard was still visibly red, just like Igos'.

Hara bowed and stood beside Igos. "My two dearest children," the King began to speak. "I must make this quick. As you know now, times are turbulent. The threat of a sudden attack on our home is massive. After much thought, I have decided that you are not longer safe here. Therefore, you, Igos and your sister will be temporarily moved to the edge of our territory in the east."

"East?" asked Hara. "You mean across the sea? You're sending us away over seas?"

"Don't speak out of turn!" Igos said sharply. "Father, if I am correct, the edge borders the only unoccupied territory of our land on that continent."

"That's right, Prince Igos. An efficient stronghold has been built there already. It is significantly smaller than this castle, but it will be all yours to govern; at least until things are sorted out. It pains me greatly to have to do this on such short notice."

"How short?" asked Hara.

"Tonight."

Hara stamped her foot. "What? Why didn't you tell me about this sooner!"

"I didn't want to tell you until your new home was ready. If I told you before, it would give you time to object and I can't allow that. You two are my heir apparents and I do not to want to jeopardize your safety. Rest assured, Igos will take good care of your new home and it has already been equipped with your own personal training grounds. I know how much you like to play with weapons. And Captain Keeta will be setting base close by there."

Hara couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her father was serious. Tonight really would be the last night she'd be there. And Halima knew! That's why Halima had been acting strange lately. How could she keep that from her?

"Your travel there has been set up. I don't want either of you trying to find your way back here prematurely. You will be brought up there blindly. I think it will be best that way. We will send for you through messenger when it will be time for you to return."

Hara was shaking. The guards about the room were almost scared at the tension. Igos turned and instructed the servants and guards to follow him out and prepare for his travel. When they were left alone, Hara ran up the steps to her father's throne and hugged him, crying.

"I'll miss you my sheriti…" He said gently.

Hara withdrew and walked the long way back to the main hall. When the door was opened, she saw Halima there. She approached Halima. "Princess…it's time…" she said.

Halima took out a black cloak and put it on Hara. "Everything is all ready to go," said Halima. Hara was led to the back of the castle and was put on a cargo ship. It didn't look comfortable, but she figured they wanted to take her discreetly.

The ship ride there was nothing short of torture. She was only allowed to stay in the sleeping quarters. It was small and stuffy and the only light she got was from the candle. Halima would often stay with her, but most of the time, she guarded the door. It would've been better if she could have walked about.

She didn't even get to see Captain Keeta. He was a day behind because he was working out war strategies with the general. After a day of traveling, she wasn't allowed to see outside. Right from the room, she was transported to a carrier with dark curtains. She felt them walking for hours until she found herself in the castle.

She didn't even get to see Igos and Halima informed her that Keeta had arrived. After a few moments of walking about, she finally made her way into Igos' throne room.

***

It all happened so fast, Hara thought. Even with Keeta close by, she still didn't get to see them. And she had yet to talk to the composer brothers, Sharp and Flat. They were always so nice to her. Why they would want to come here was beyond Hara. Maybe her father wished for their safety too.

She slipped out of the bath and dried herself off. She put on sleeping garments and sent for Beth to take it away. She hid the paper under her pillow. It seemed to drive her crazy. What did it say? Frustrated, she just decided to lie down and go to sleep. Unknown to her, a heartbroken Halima went to her quarters to sleep.

Sleep came easy to her this night. She was clean and considerably tired. She crawled into her bed. It wasn't even her own bed. She let out a sigh and slowly closed her eyes. Being uprooted so fast took such a toll on her. She turned on her side and blew out the candle. The room was very dark now. She relaxed.

After no more than a minute, she got the overwhelming feeling that she was being watched. She heard something. Like someone swung a stick swiftly past her ear. That sound it makes when it disturbs the wind.

She sat up and looked around. She looked up at the ceiling. Whatever was in her room, she was looking at it. All she could see was a shadowy figure with glowing light green eyes. They pierced her, frightened her. She was suddenly at a loss of words. She wanted to cry out for help.

She reached under her bed for her weapon. Maybe she could fight it off herself. Once the figure saw the glint of the steel, it turned and fled. She saw it, and it didn't make a single sound on the walls. It went towards the door that led to the training room. She went after it.

The training room was easier to see. There were more candles about since Hara never wanted them to go out. She saw him there. He was garbed in a long brown shawl that came just above its knees. Its head was covered except for those eyes.

Hara took out her blade and raised it defiantly at it. Tips of two blades peeked out from under the cloak. It was going to fight her. She ran at it and swung at him. He swiftly dodged it and she felt a kick at her back, knocking her down. She didn't anticipate such speed.

She looked behind her; the shadow was coming at her. She raised her blade and began swinging wildly. She felt its two blades hit it, but felt cuts hit her on her torso. She got to her feet and ran for it again, but it jumped out of the way. She couldn't compare her skill to his.

She ran back to her room and she ran after it with a noticeable limp. There was blood running down her thigh and calf and then ankle. She didn't even feel it. She stumbled into her room and lit a candle. She felt so weak from the blood loss she dropped her weapon. She didn't even know she was bleeding. The slits were so fine and quick, she didn't know they were there. The poorly illuminated room showed no trace of anyone. She looked about. Nothing was gone or out of place.

She wondered. She darted for her bed and looked under the pillow. Just as she thought: the paper was gone! She knew there was something strange about that damn book. She'd ask about it tomorrow, but then she was feeling dizzy. She didn't realize how much blood she lost.

She leaned against the bookcase for support. But the shelf collapsed under hers and the books weight. She passed out, and did not hear the loud crash. Halima, however, did. She got up and opened the door to the training room, holding her lantern. It was empty. Then she looked at the beeline that led to Hara's room.

Small drops of blood were led to her bedroom. She darted for the door that led to Hara's room. "Princess!" she cried. She dropped her lantern with an audible shatter. She was rushed to the infirmary that was located on the other side of the castle. Halima carried her there.

All of Hara's wounds were small and deep but didn't look fatal. "Just a sudden drop of blood pressure, she's only knocked out. She hasn't lost that much blood," said the nurse. Hara was bandaged up. "Just put her in her room until she wakes up."

Halima thanked the maid and took Hara back to her room. It would be two days until she woke up again. Hara opened her eyes. She looked down at her body and saw the bandages. Her wounds stung more than they hurt. She took a deep breath and willed herself to get up.

Her room was well lit. The small windows along the castle walls let in sunlight. She stumbled to the door. The door opened in front of her and Halima was standing there. "Princess! You're awake!" she called.

Halima embraced Hara, but she was still a little sore. "Halima, what happened?" she asked.

"You don't…remember?" Halima helped Hara back to her bed.

Hara shook her head. "Was I hurt or something? I didn't feel anything."

Halima gave her a confused glance. "You were covered in small but deep slits. We don't know what ambushed you. Naturally the castle's been searched many times, but no such clue has been found."

Hara lay back down, sliding her arm under her pillow as she did. She felt around. The paper! It was still gone! She darted back up. "Uh…Halima? Can I go visit Keeta?"

"Oh, no princess, you can't. You're still injured."

Hara hit her mattress. "I'm just fine! I want to see him! I have to see him!"

Halima leaned back at her intensity. "Why do you want to see him so badly? He's very busy and has yet to know of your assault."

Hara's eyes widened. "What?" she yelled. "Why would you keep this from him?"

"Calm down, please. He is in talks with your brother about an ambush-"

"And I'm so sure Igos didn't hear a word about this either?"

Halima stood up. "Even so, what can he do? We found no evidence of your assault and no leads as to whom!"

Hara violently shook her head. "I can't believe you all can be so cruel!" She folder her arms and pouted. "Get out."

Halima was taken aback at she just said. "Wha…"

"I said get out!" Hara yelled with her eyes closed. She looked at the floor, not facing Halima. Halima shook a little. She slowly got out and left the room to the main hall. Hara expelled the deep breath she was holding. She only used such an attitude on Halima twice. Once when she was seven and once two years before that. But those were childish quarrels. This time she meant it.

Hara put on her white robe instead of her tunic. It was more loose and draped lightly on her frame. She could still move easily since it went just above her knees. Again, she wore her red cape and put on her winged crown.

Enough was enough. She was going to go see Keeta regardless of whether or not she would be allowed. She walked through her training room. How useless it was! She didn't learn a damn thing teaching herself. It sure didn't help her the previous night.

All the same, she didn't know what else she'd be up against out there, so she took a considerably smaller blade with her. It was almost a knife, even in her small hands. She hid it in her belt against her back. Her cape would conceal it from behind.

Hara walked through Halima's quarters as well. She never really noticed how small it was. It was like a closet with a staircase leading to the roof. She saw her small chest and a blanket on the floor for when she slept. Hara only saw her old room once. And from what she remembered, this room was quite a downsize.

She pushed the thought aside. She would apologize when she returned. Going up the stairs she was already out of breath. Being bedded that whole time must've softened her. She went up to the roof and used the same path she did the first time she sneaked out. When she came to the front of the castle, she used a piece of rope to climb down the wall. Halfway down, the rope broke and she fell on her back.

She repressed her yell. She felt her chest, making sure she wasn't bleeding again. Holding her torso, she leaned up. It was starting to hurt. She was already pushing herself. Around the corner, there was no one by the stone gate. She would just have to find a way out of it.

Since she was alone, she could asses the problem easily. To the right of the place, there was a gold grate, much like the ones on the roof. She went behind it; there was nothing there but a large pile of dirt. It would make sense that they didn't have a lot of time to finish the castle and just finished the last part without much effort.

They probably used the dirt to block an opening! She dug through the mount of dirt with her bare hands. It was a tall pile, much taller than her. But she wasn't going to give up. After a few minutes, she stopped to catch her breath. She looked down at her white robe again. She wasn't bleeding, but it felt like it.

She looked behind her to make sure no one was coming out. She continued digging. With the dirt flowing away, the top of the mound started tumbling after. Her once white robe now had brown spots all about it. Her arms ached. She was out of breath and she was about two feet into the mound.

Maybe there wasn't anything behind there. She heard some loud echoing coming from the castle. She didn't know if they were looking for her, but she wasn't going to take that chance. She looked around quickly. She ran behind one of the tall pillars and peeked behind to see.

Sure enough, Halima was frantically looking for her. She went to the dirt mound and saw that someone was tampering with it. But on closer inspection, she saw that it was not completely tunneled through. Turning around, she looked about the small courtyard. She was going in Hara's direction.

Hara moved to the other side of the pillar so that she was opposite Halima on the other side of the pillar. She went to the well. Funny how Hara never really noticed it. She looked down the well, but there was nothing but the water. She went back and ran to the castle.

Hara looked at her hands. Under her fingernails were bloody and her hands were dirty. She went over to the well to wash them off, but the water was far down. She couldn't see it. She decided she didn't really need the water. She ran back to the pile, checking all of her sides.

She went back and began digging some more. She dug for other side. She could feel the pile growing thinner. Finally her hand was met with cold a hollow opening. She dug faster through it. She was in a small sort of room. Not a room, more like an incomplete part of the wall. It was very dark, but she felt the rock that separated her from the outside. It wouldn't be hard to blast that away.

She only brought three bombs from her home. It was all she could bring without anyone seeing. They were her own bombs. She made them herself after many attempts back at home. They weren't too powerful, but after the countless tries of making one, they would have to do.

She put the tiny bombs in the place she wanted to blast. She made a small wall of dirt behind her so that it would muffle the noise. The bombs themselves weren't too loud, but she didn't know just how far Halima had gone.

She put the bombs aside and made a spark with a rock and a quick scrape against her sword. She stood a considerable amount of length back and the blast was very loud. Louder than she remembered. It didn't make a hole, but it significantly weakened the wall. She kicked and kicked at it until her foot went through to the other side.

Light flooded the little cave. She poked her head out. She was amazed at what she saw. It was a large green field. A river cut through it and cascaded down the cliff. Her castle was seated on the edge. To her right were small houses. She knew her composers resided there.

Her first breath of freedom was cut short. She remembered her mission. She needed to find Keeta and learn why she was ambushed.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun hung high in the sky as Hara felt the feeling of grass beneath her feet. The entirety of it all seemed so unreal to her. In a matter of days, she, so small and seemingly insignificant to the perils the world faced, felt like a world of problems mounted on her shoulders. She went to the edge of the cliff. A small river cut through the field and began from a cave behind her. The field over the cliff was massive. It stretched far beyond her eyes. But she couldn't find a way to get down there.

Oh how she wished she had thought this through. She hadn't wandered far from the castle, but she was sure they noticed she was gone by now. She placed a small hand on her side where her wound was. It throbbed a little. The pain subsided after applying some pressure. She waded through the small river, not caring if her boots got soaked. On the other side she made her way to the houses. Certainly someone would be able to help her if she asked. She made her was up a ramp. To her left was what appeared to be a well and on the right were the strange looking houses.

She knew at least two of the houses belonged to her servants that were also sisters. Or maybe they all shared a house, she wasn't sure. And her Composers! Yes her Composers had to be there too, probably writing some enchanting melody to relax and entertain all who hear it. She heard a loud creaking sound. She looked up and saw someone on the roof. It was a person, perhaps, garbed in a brown cloak that covered his head and went down to past his knees. Two blades poked out from beneath it. She couldn't see his face, but his eyes were all too clear. They glowed a pale green. There was something familiar about those eyes.

Hara took a step back. Without thinking, she turned around and ran down the hill. She knew she shouldn't have gone up there. She should've just tried to go down the cliff herself. Running was soon proven to be useless anyway as she could feel the heat of him behind her. Distracted, she tripped and fell forward. Panting, she eased herself on her back. She felt her wound open up slightly. She looked up at this mysterious figure again. 'I bet he's the one that attacked me,' she thought. Her eyes widened. "You're the one that attacked me!" she cried at him, not realizing her thoughts weren't her own anymore.

The person didn't show any sort of reaction to her comment. He just stood there and looked down at her. "Why?" Hara's voice softened. She just wanted to know, she didn't want to offend. Still, the person did nothing. Hara, still on the ground, edged herself away. The cliff's edge wasn't far away. Maybe she could signal to a passerby down there for help. It was a fool's errand but she had to do something. She knew she couldn't defeat him on her own. She crawled and inched her way quickly.

By some miracle, she made it, even though this dangerous attacker was surely still behind her. Why wasn't he attacking her? Her hand made it over to the ledge. Using the leverage, she was pulled herself to the edge. When half of her torso hung over the edge, she looked behind her to see this mysterious person. The first thing that caught her eye was that she was leaving a small trail of blood behind her. So her wound had reopened. Secondly, she saw that this supposed attacker had sheathed his weapons. Hara turned back around to see if anyone was close. However, what she didn't realize was that the earth below her gave away under her weight and she fell over.

Screaming, she felt gravity pull her down towards the rushing water below. The wind ripped at her face as the cold air flooded her eyes. Something wrapped tightly around her, quickly. The force of it knocked the wind out of her, and everything went black after that. Now there was something that wasn't new.

****

Halima frantically scurried about the castle grounds in search of Hara. She asked all of the servants passing by, but none told her anything. This was serious. Hara was out there somewhere and she'd no idea if she was hurt or in danger. She knew it wasn't wise to disturb the Prince, but she had no other choice. His current meeting wasn't terribly important. She knocked on the door that led to the throne room.

Two servants opened it for her. She walked through and saw Prince Igos sitting on this throne. The lead of one of his armies' regime requested an audience. She could tell because of the winged eagle mask he wore. "What is it?" said Igos, irritated.

"Please pardon me, your Highness, but it's your sister," Halima began bowing.

"You disturb me on such trivial manners?" Igos asked, angrier. He glared at her.

"She's gone! She escaped the grounds and is nowhere to be found!" Halima didn't mean to raise her voice but the matter was urgent.

"Isn't it your responsibility to make sure something like this doesn't happen? If a small child like that can escape your watchful eye, I am seriously doubting your competence!" Igos verbally abused Halima. The rest of the throne room fell deftly silent at the awkward moment. Igos looked back to the army's lead. "Have some of your men help look for her. She can't be too far." His face moved to the side, "Ras and Badru, you two go with them. You used to work under First Lieutenant Bremen have you not?"

"Yes sir," they both said in unison.

Halima expelled her sigh. She was so certain Igos would just dismiss her; or worse yet, banish her. The man took out a flute and played a marching tune and the small army assembled and marched out the door. Halima followed. She almost left the room when she turned to give a thankful gesture to Igos. He still glared at her, but he didn't say anything either. This was one of the rare times her brother showed any type of compassion for his sister.

The army was still in formation as Halima ran to the front of them. She faced all of them. They all donned the same bird mask as their leader. "We are finding the Princess. She is small and most likely wearing white and a red cape. She shouldn't be hard to find!" she said. She turned around and the army followed her.

***

Hara's sense of feel came back to her before anything. She was conscious, but she still couldn't see. She could feel the heat of the sun on her skin and the wind on her. She felt the soft grass beneath her, and the hard earth under that. She opened her eyes and the blur of the scenery soon focused. She was on her side. From the looks of it, she was in some sort of canyon. There was no one around. She felt a stinging pain on her chest. Her wound was re-bandaged.

'How did…' Hara thought. She slowly got to her feet. She looked in the direction she was facing when she was on the ground. Was it all a dream, she thought. The canyon curved, but she'd no idea where it led. She went forward. She was already out of the castle anyway. As she walked forward, she noticed some things were familiar. Before she knew it, she was in front of Keeta's property. She knew it was his!

When she realized she knew where she was now, she began to run up the path to Keeta's home. It was deftly quiet. A chilling wind blew and besides the wind in her ear, Hara could hear her blood red cape flapping in the wind. She made a slow but steady walking pace up to his home. Suddenly she felt scared. She didn't know why. She made it up to his house. If she didn't know what the interior was like, she'd be so sure Keeta couldn't live in such a small home.

She pulled the string and she could hear the bell echo from the inside. She waited. She continued to listen to her cape as it moved from the wind's disturbance. No one was coming. She rang again. She started hitting the door. "Keeta! It's me! Hara!" She called. Nothing. She jerked the handle of the door. It was locked. So he probably wasn't home. She leaned her head forward on the door. All of that work for nothing. She wasn't even sure how she'd gotten there, but she knew the opportunity would not come again easily. There was no choice but to wait.

She ran up the upward path to the right of the entrance as she did the other day. The path looped around to the roof of the shack-sized house. Being up there was pointless, but she didn't want to be waiting down there. She looked up at the clouded sky. She sighed. What exactly happened? The last thing she remembered was falling, then the blackout. She was having a lot of those lately since she arrived there. She began to think logically. What if she had just asked Halima to come here more assertively? She loved spending time with Keeta too. She would've given in eventually. Or at least maybe if she asked a little nicer.

Hara closed her eyes. Everything went black, but of her own accord. She opened her eyes to the sound of the crowd approaching. It was considerably darker than before. She must've fallen asleep; it was dusk at this point. The crowd didn't sound big, but among them, she didn't recognize Keeta's voice. She poked her head from the wall, if she laid down, no one on the ground would be able to see her. It was too dark to see anyone, so she lay back down.

"Do you really think she could've gotten this far?" asked an unfamiliar voice.

"This is certainly the place she would go first," Hara recognized this to be Halima's voice. She walked up to the door and began to shake the handle. "It's locked, he's not home. Hara must be with him."

"He could be on his way taking her back," said the same person.

Hara's eyes shot open. She didn't dare get back up to take another peek. So they were looking for her now. "How about we check that path up there?" said another voice. 'No!' Hara thought, 'please let them just turn around.'

"What is the meaning of this?" thundered an easily recognizable Keeta's voice. The small army turned around and saluted their Captain. Halima drew herself to the front of the crowd having her lantern lead the way.

"Captain Keeta, where is Hara?" she asked.

"Princess Hara is with you, is she not?" he asked.

"No! She's gone and we can't find her. First Lieutenant Bremen's army is here to assist me in finding her."

Keeta paused. "I've yet to know where she is. I thought you brought her back with you."

"She has this crazy idea that you can give her information as to why she was hurt!"

"Wait, hurt? What happened?" he asked. Halima caught her breath. She was getting ahead of herself. "Men, go back to First Lieutenant Bremen at the castle. Look for any trace of her on your way, if you can't we'll pick up the search tomorrow morning in the daylight. She can't be too far and I'm sure she'll find shelter somewhere."

The men turned to leave. "You're just going to let them go? You're giving up just like that?" Halima yelled.

Keeta grabbed her and, gently but with enough force, shook her to calm her down. "You know as well as I the nights are too dangerous."

"If they're so dangerous we should find her as soon as possible! She could be dead!"

Keeta hating having to sound so cold, "If that is true, then there's nothing we can do now. We can at least wait until morning and not risk anymore lives." Halima began to cry. Keeta kissed her forehead. "Come inside, Halima, I'm sure she'll turn up. She's a smart girl and very strong." He smiled. "She learned from the best."

Keeta unlocked the door and led Halima inside. Hara didn't know much about adult things, but they sure did like their alone time a lot. Hara barely peeked over the short wall. There was no one there and the waning sun's light was completely gone now. She got up and ran down the looping dirt path until she was in front of Keeta's home again. She leaned her ear against the door. It didn't sound like there was anyone on the other side. She slightly shook the doorknob. It was unlocked. She turned the knob and the door opened smoothly. Halima's lantern was set on a table, providing some light in the otherwise dark room.

Hara quietly found her way to the book she saw the first time she was there. She saw the book on the top shelf. Just trying to make sure, she saw the place where the page was torn from it. She saw the jagged edges. She shut the book and backed away. She got what she really needed. She backed away and knocked into something. She had hit the table and sent the lantern stumbling over, making a loud crash of Halima's lantern. Hara, wide-eyed, darted for the door, ran through, and slammed it shut behind her. She ran down the dirt path of the property as fast as she could. The moonlight painted the area in front of her in a pale light.

No doubt Halima and Keeta would be checking what the source of the disturbance was. Oh why had she been so careless? She clutched the book closely to her as she ran. She passed the area where she woke up. The moon was peeking over the mountains. It was almost like the day had never left. She continued to run forward. The shapes of the mountain formations were very fascinating. But how her caretaker's had found and chosen this place to hide out was beyond her. In front of her was a rock formation that looked like a natural pillar. It was lopsided but sturdy. She ran up and hid behind it to catch her breath. Without any surprise, she heard the footsteps of Keeta and Halima approaching.

The shade provided by the pillar would make a sufficient cloak; she just had to remain quiet. She held the book close to her chest as if it were her lifeline. She heard their voices carry but couldn't make out what they were saying. She leaned out of the pillar's cover and saw them turning around. They scaled up the mountain with ease, going in the opposite direction from where Hara stood. She let out a sigh and turned back around. She froze. There before her, was the cloaked assailant. Its blades were withdrawn. Hara, used to this sight by now, regained her composure quickly. She was easily winded by the run, but she was still able to whisper through her teeth.

"You again?" she hissed. "You're the one that attacked me!" It became increasingly difficult to keep her voice down. It would be easy for a loud voice to carry in a canyon of this size.

"But did I not save you as well, from that fall?" said the assailant simply. She was able to identify this attacker as a man.

Hara's grip on the book eased up slightly, but tightened again after she gathered her thoughts. "Yes. What of it? What do you want?"

The man removed the hood of his cloak from his head. He looked about Halima's age. Maybe a little older, it was hard to tell in the insufficient light. "What I want," he began, "is that book you're holding."

Hara smiled. "So you did attack me for that piece of paper…"

The man took out the crumpled piece from beneath his cloak and held it up for her to see. "Yes. I thought you were trying to use it."

"Use it? For what? I can't even understand it."

The man put the piece of paper away. "Be that as it may: this mindless chatter is pointless. Give me the book and I'll be on my way."

Hara lessened her grip once again. She was almost about to give it to him. But then she remembered all the trouble she went through to get it and clutched it tightly. "Why? What's so important about it?"

"It belongs to us. I don't want to have to tell you again. Give. Me. The. Book."

"Who is us?" Hara tried to buy time. "Give me the information I want or I'll scream and my caretakers will be on you in an instant."

The man hardened his gaze as two identical blades appeared from beneath the cloak. "They will not make it here before they find your body pinned to the rock by my sword. I've taken you once before with ease. And now you're injured. This would be no more difficult than stomping a keese."

Hara swallowed hard. "I just…want to know what is in it. Why is this so precious to you?"

"It is of my people. Our heritage and race's birth are in the texts of that book. You and your people are coming here to wipe us out for no reason. We've stayed out of your affairs and lived our own peaceful lives until your armies came and claimed sacred land for their own. Your 'friend' took this book that he found in the cave where the waterfall begins near your castle and now the bereavement spirit's host that resided there is gone."

"I don't understand…"

"You needn't understand anything! You know too much now. Give me the book and I'll let you live!"

Hara's knees knocked from the tense words. Her back slid down along the pillar. "I worked hard to retrieve this book. I deserve to know its contents."

The man sighed. "You are so young. You've no idea the wrongs and rights of the world. Give me the book and I'll return it to my people. In exchange, tell no one of me and I'll meet you at your castle and share my wisdom."

Hara leaned up and got to her feet again. "How can I trust you?"

"I leave you off with your life."

Hara nodded. "Will you manage to get in past the guards?"

"I've done it before."

Hara reluctantly handed the book over. The man ripped it from her hands and tucked it under his cloak and replaced the hood to conceal his face. He withdrew his blades and ran off into the shadows. Hara turned around, ran around the pillar in an attempt to follow him, but it was of no use. On the cliff to the left of Keeta's property, she saw a shadow being cast from atop. She ran up to it, thinking it was him, but it wasn't.

"Princess!" cried Halima's voice. Halima skid down the cliff side and ran up to Hara and hugged her tightly. "Oh thank goodness you're okay!"

Before she knew it, Keeta was next to them as well. "My sheriti, please don't scare us like that again," he said.

Hara just held an indifferent expression. "Just take me home," she said. She climbed on Keeta's back as they took her up the cliff side and back to her castle.

***

The tower's elaborate design tricked and deceived many that didn't know it well. The lone Garo scaled up to the top of the place where his brethren would surely be awaiting him. He put the wrinkled page back into its right place of the book. He closed his book, closed his eyes hummed something enchanting. He opened the book to where the page was ripped. There was the page, perfectly intact, with the rip gone.

He was before the temple now. The gap of thin air between him and the main temple that was untouched for centuries was uninterrupted. No one was allowed in the main temple. Or at least, no one wanted to go in. Anyone that came in never came out the same. Never. Whether they were disfigured physically or emotionally, which was found to be much worse. Only the most terrible of his kind were ordered to enter. Two of his 'brothers' dressed in similar clothing saw him. He removed his hood from his face. "Iesl, you're back," one of them said.

"I have retrieved the book," he began. "The enemy's young princess took it from the possession of the army's captain."

"The princess? What was she doing with it?" asked the other one. "Isn't she just a little kid?"

Iesl nodded. Then he smiled. "I'm meeting her tomorrow, actually."

Both of their eyes widened. "You're doing what?" said one of them. "Why not just make our whole lifestyle public?"

"Are you an idiot?" said the other.

"Calm down, you're not thinking this through," said Iesl. "Think about it. She's young and naïve. She has an obvious strong affiliation with the captain. We've been spending all of this time looking on the outside, but now we have a connection on the inside. Children won't tell secrets if you tell them not too. She's at the perfect ripe age of naivety but cleverness."

"You're cold, Iesl."

"I do not wish to hurt anyone. Having an advantage can stave off more lives being taken." Iesl looked down at his hands. He tasted the blood of some of their warriors on his hands. He and the two before him were able to take them all down with the sheath of the night upon them. The stationed soldiers sat ominously outside of their headquarters. Why they would reside so close to their 'enemy' puzzled Iesl and his comrades. Iesl was a reasonable man. He didn't do more than what was necessary. "Do not tell His Master about any of this. I want this to be our little secret. At least I can get this plan on more sure footing."

"He hasn't appeared recently anyway. He's been across the chasm…just in the main tower. We've been waiting for him to come out to give us our next mission, but, it's almost as if he's vanished."

"If that's the case then we shall not mourn for long," said Iesl.

One of his cohorts took a firm and straight stance. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"If you think you're going to take the next spot as Master, you're sorely mistaken," said the other. "He is a picture of perfect health and a great protector."

"Indeed he is," Iesl. He turned and fearlessly leaped down into the seemingly endless abyss below them. He found his footing at the entrance of the tower that led to the outside where their enemies resided.

This was the lucky break he'd been waiting for. Ever since he saw the closeness of the young princess to the captain of the army when they first arrived, he knew there was something he could draw on to win their home back. It was a risk attacking her for the piece of the book that was useless even to him. Getting the book inside the Captains house under his suspicion was an easy task. He just didn't expect her to come see him so quickly.

The princess' behavior was unpredictable; he didn't expect her to act so boldly. But it only hastened his grand plan. As long as he made sure she didn't say anything, he would be able to take all of the secrets of their enemy and be prepared for them. Everything needed to be sneaky. He didn't want to tell his comrades about his plan, but they would keep his secret. As clear as he had his plan, the execution wasn't very rigid, but it seemed to be on surer footing now. All he had to do is bait the hook to the naïve princess. He wasn't going to let centuries of his people be wiped out by selfish tyrants. With a flip of his hood back on his head, he exited the tower.

***

The whole idea of it was amazing. First she got what she wanted and then she easily gave it up on the off chance that he'd return for her. Once Hara had the chance to think about it, she regretted giving up her prize. More still, Halima and Keeta and now Igos locked her up in her room as punishment for leaving the castle. She sat in front of the mirror and brushed her hair. She didn't know why she was getting so fixed up for a meeting she was sure wouldn't take place. She leaned forward and let out a sigh. Her hot breath made the mirror fog up. She raised her arm to wipe it away. When the cloud of vapor was gone, she saw a new reflection. She was still there, but there was someone behind her.

Out of reflex, she jolted and turned around to confirm the mirror's reflection. Instantly a covered hand clamped over her mouth. Her initial reaction of shock turned to relief when it was the man who promised to meet her. When she regained her composure, he released her mouth. "I'm so glad you could make it," she said smiling. The man, upon closer inspection and better lighting was quite a few years older than Halima. He was most likely the same age as Igos. But his pure black hair didn't show a trace of age and it contrasted greatly with his piercing aqua eyes.

Iesl walked about the room, as if he's never seen it before. "I'm a man of my word," he said not looking at her. "My name is Iesl." He looked around as if he was searching for something. He turned back to Hara. "This abode is…quite small. Do you hail from a secret kingdom?"

"Of course not!" said Hara, keeping her voice as low as possible. "Please keep in mind that the size of this place is for safety reasons. A big castle is a lot easier to find than a small one."

"Well you certainly picked an interesting place to make home. This land's lush green fields were an excellent choice. You see when it rains-"

"Forgive me for interrupting," said Hara. "But I've been pondering this for a while. You are quite skilled with blades. And I'm sure it's no doubt that much of your race is just a capable as you. Not that I'm suggesting anything, but why did you then allow us to build a residence here without so much as a threat? Not that I'm suggesting you slaughter us where we stand, but if you felt threatened why didn't you do something about it?"

"You're not as dumb as you look. To be honest we didn't know you were building anything here. It was as if it popped up over night," said Iesl. "Of course we both know it didn't, but like we established earlier this place is very small. Such a place couldn't have taken very long to build. However, my brethren and I rarely leave the Tower near here until recent events prompted us to investigate."

Hara slowly nodded. "So…why did you then attack me?" she asked.

Iesl looked at her with a very indifferent expression. "I believe we've discussed this. You had something that didn't belong to you. I truly didn't mean you fatal harm, but it was a precious item of mine."

"That's just it. What is it? What was so important to you on that piece of paper?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." Iesl casually paced about the room. "A little girl such as yourself shouldn't be interested in something like this. If I didn't know better, I'd say you are just inventing ways to keep yourself amused."

Hara was at a loss for words. He was right. She didn't really strive to understand what was really written in that book. She just wanted something to do. She averted her gaze from Iesl. There was a pause.

"That paper…was part of the book, obviously," said Iesl, breaking the silence. "Recently, many of my tribe's possessions have been taken by your captain friend."

Hara snapped her gaze back to him. "Are you calling Keeta a thief?" she pounded her dresser.

"I am not. I said no such thing. I do not believe he stole them from us. We rarely see outsiders in this territory so it is believed that he picked them up out of curiosity. He still has many of our things. That is why we did what we did to your soldiers."

Hara opened her mouth to speak but a sharp knock on the door interrupted her. Iesl jumped up into air and blended into the dark ceiling. It was almost impossible to see him. "Come in," called Hara. Halima came in.

"Are you faring well, Princess?" she asked.

"Yes I'm fine. I'm sorry I acted the way I did," said Hara being genuine. "I guess I'm just inventing ways to be amused."

"Oh it's quite alright, Hara. The Composer Brothers have settled in their home just near the castle. They invited you for a private recital."

Hara's face lit up. "Right now? Are they here?"

"Calm down. It's not until a few more days. They're still preparing for it. They came here to be more at peace. The war back home is far from over and they will enjoy the quiet atmosphere."

Hara nodded.

"I think I want to take a nap. Can you leave me?" she asked.

Halima stood and bowed. She turned and left. Iesl emerged from the shadows and fell to the floor on his feet. "I can't stand meeting you like this. You should learn some real stealth so that you can retrieve our things."

"What do you mean retrieve your things? Why can't you just do it? I'm sure you're more than capable," asked Hara.

Iesl sighed. "Perhaps. But I would also like to see if you're trustworthy. I'm going out on a limb here telling you this much; even showing my face to you. I would no sooner die than show my real face to anyone else. I suppose I just see something special in you."

Hara's face lit up. "So you can teach me? Train me?" she asked, excited.

"Don't ahead of yourself. You were not born of my people. We are very magical and spiritual. We believe our power greatly surpasses any 'God'. Why should we believe in any sort of higher power when we can damn well take care of ourselves and still be great?"

Hara didn't want to listen to such blasphemy. She wasn't a devout religious person, but she was very faithful. She shook her head as if to shake the sounds she just heard from her head. "That wasn't really the point. Beliefs and spirituality don't really have anything to do with being stealthy."

Iesl rolled his eyes. "Okay. Fair enough. I can teach you some basic things. But not until you can prove your worth. I can tell your people are a very proud and violent type. And no doubt some if not all of it resides in you. But maybe you can overcome it."

Hara narrowed her eyes. She wasn't sure if it was the challenge or the fact that he blatantly insulted her people. "Well what can I do?"

"I want you to retrieve a special green orb from your little captain friend." Hara stared blankly. She couldn't very well just up and ask Keeta for something like that. "Rest assured, there's no hurry. Take your time and find out where it is. If I feel you're taking too long, I'll just get it myself."

"Fine, I'll do it. I don't know how. But I really want to know more about you. I've studied many races and civilizations but never have I heard of you. It fascinates me."

Iesl patted Hara on the head. He almost felt sorry for her. If it were up to him, he would just rip her out of the castle itself, set her outside and let her stand up to her so-called caretakers. But that would come with time. "I must be going. Your composer people are going to be expecting you in a couple of days."

Hara nodded. "Thank you for coming," she said.

Iesl gave her the slightest of nods. "Take care." Although Iesl was puzzled at her indirect and rather sudden invitation to leave, he flipped his hood back over his head and with amazing agility, disappeared from the room. It was actually quite easy find out that he really left and was not hiding. Hara's uneasiness was not present. There was just something intimidating about Iesl to her. But it wasn't hard in the least to figure out why he frightened her.

It rained the next two days before Hara went to go see the Composer Brothers. With the excess water overflowing the river near the castle, Halima suggested that they wait a while so the flood waters wouldn't impede their safe travel. Hara was disappointed but didn't argue either. She was feeling rather tired anyway. Fearing she would grow lazy, she forced herself up early in the morning and would run laps around her training room while Halima still slept.

Finally, the time came for them to depart. The sun had dried the green grass and made the wind cool and fresh when Hara stepped outside of the castle. It made everyone smile. Igos even seemed to be in good spirits lately. Perhaps it was because his composers were near him. They were always such good friends. In fact Igos was always very kind and caring with is comrades. There was no activity coming from Stone Tower and Hara wondered if it was because of her meeting with Iesl.

Halima escorted Hara from the castle. Even Igos was taking time from his duties to hear the Composer Brothers' recital. Although it was never said, it was very clear that Igos greatly favored his peers and comrades over his own sister. But Hara accepted this long ago and never thought on it for more than a second.

Halima insisted that Hara dress for the occasion; even going so far as to not let her go. Hara finally yielded and wore a rather light purple robe that still left her legs and arms free. She still donned her cape. It may not have matched but she felt naked without it. They both stood outside of the massive gate.

Igos emerged with Ras and Badru at his sides. Keeta was to his direct left and they laughed and conversed with eachother. Igos did not even glance at Hara. She just rolled her eyes and let them pass her. She leaned over toward Halima. "Is Keeta coming too?" she asked.

"No, Princess. He has urgent news from the coast that he must tend to," she said.

"Urgent news? Is everything okay?" she asked.

"I'm sure everything is just fine. Don't worry. We're going to a recital now, so just be happy."

Hara reluctantly nodded. She really needed to just go to Keeta's house and retrieve the orb Iesl told her about. The Composer Brothers' home was not far the castle so everyone just walked. When they came up to the small river, Badru carried Halima on his shoulders. He had a wide frame so there was much support. Ras constantly made passing references to it. But Badru would always retort with lanky frame; calling it feeble.

After walking up the dirt ramp, the Royal family and the few servants knocked on the door to the Composer Brothers' home. The small group was happily greeted by a very happy looking Flat. "Welcome all, thank you for coming!" he said.

Immediately upon entering, there was a staircase that led down underground. There it was much cooler and there were small holes in the ceiling to let in light. There were also many candles and such set around so light was not scarce. But this wasn't Hara's first recital from them. Every time their music played, all the candles would be blown out and the holes in the windows and ceilings would be covered until you could barely see a thing.

Suddenly unseen and unnamed instruments began to play in perfect harmony. Light streams of blue and green and every color she could think of began to dance in the dark. Hara wasn't sure if she was the only person that would see this every time she heard the music, but she never asked. This is what she came for. The music and the lights were enough to make her count the minutes leading down to a recital from the Composer Brothers.

The music began to slow and eventually ceased. The fire from the candles rose again and everyone found themselves on the earth again. The small audience clapped and rose from their seats. "What a spectacular performance, my friends," said Igos; once again showing his great favor to his peers over his sister. "Now that I've seen the gamut of your talent it's no secret as to why you two decided not to join our army."

"Oh sir," said Flat, "it is such a pleasure to hear you say that."

"Indeed it is," said Sharp. "However, if it pleases you at all, I'd like to accompany you to the castle and see how the war is progressing. This place isn't doing very well for my health and I'd like to be returning home soon."

Flat looked puzzled. "Leaving? So soon? But brother, we just got here."

Sharp sighed. "I know. But I am growing so homesick. I'd like to continue to make music for my homeland." As Sharp spoke the words, his eyes lit up. He really did miss home. "Why does this bother you so, brother?"

Flat looked down to the ground. "Well…it's just I've grown to like this place. I don't want to leave. And I certainly don't want us to get separated. I don't think either of us could be as good alone as we are together."

Sharp nodded in agreement. "All the same, I'd still like to see how our _real_ home is faring."

"Well we can go now then. I'm sure Keeta has returned by now with some news," said Igos. "Flat, will it be too much trouble if the servant and the girl stay here with you?"

"Not at all your Highness," said Flat bowing.

"Then we'll be off." Igos rounded up his comrades and they left in unison. Halima used her lantern to better light her way around the composers' home. "This is quite a small home you have here," said Halima. "Then again so is our young princess' here."

Flat chuckled. "You make a light of my situation. Sharp's behavior has been getting increasingly erratic lately. He's become quite isolated as of late," he said sadly. "I think he really did want to join Ikana's army in his younger days."

"But why does he still want to now?" asked Hara. "Look what he's done with his life since then. He's made beautiful music along with you. How could you ask for more?"

Flat weakly smiled. "Who knows? He's always been such an irritable person. But he's my brother and I love him."

Hara suddenly remembered her primary mission. "Halima, if it's not too much trouble, can we go visit Keeta?" she asked.

Halima looked uncertain. He was attending to private war matters but he could be done by now. "Well, we can wait at his property but if he's not there by sundown, then we're heading home. Your brother asked us to stay here but I'm sure he won't notice."

"Ah so you two are going to see Skull Keeta? Did you know we grew up together?" asked Flat.

"No I didn't," said Hara. "I suppose that's why I just can't seem to get enough of any of you." She smiled. She hardly ever heard Keeta be called by his war name.

"Give him my regards if you do see him. And feel free to come by any time. There's no need to wait for an invitation."

"We will certainly remember that," said Halima escorting Hara out of the door.

Hara, for the first time, finally got to scale down the waterfall. There were small wooden bridges that connected small cliffs with a single tree on them. It wasn't terribly fancy but now she knew how to get up and down from the cliff. The first one was accessed by a ladder. How they got her home in her carrying throne, she'd never know. Halima did well to keep Hara away from the dangerous ledges as there was no rail barrier to keep victims from falling to the rushing waters below.

Halima was always overly conscious of danger. Come to think of it, why did she carry that lantern all the time anyway? Hara never really noticed it unless she didn't have it. After some walking, Hara noticed that it was getting slightly darker. Halima said they would have to leave by sundown. When they passed a canyon wall, she saw that it was rather cloudy. Perhaps it would rain that evening.

Hara briefly passed the spot where she first encountered Iesl. After all he's done for her already, it made her want to continue her mission all the more. With more proper thinking, all Iesl really did was make up for things he's already done to her. She pushed the thought aside. He was probably just frustrated with his brethren's possessions getting taken.

Keeta's property was deftly quiet. It felt different from the other times she had visited. Something was wrong. It was unmistakable. Suddenly, Hara felt scared and cold in the graveyard by his home. She never questioned why he's have them buried so close the place he slept. And his home was primarily underground which made it all the more confusing. The sun was completely covered by the clouds now. Halima had her lantern on her which illuminated the way, casting a yellow spotlight in the otherwise gray place.

Hara suddenly broke into a sprint and ran up to the door. She put her hand on the doorknob. She turned to find Halima going after her. "It's open!" Hara sounded more worried than excited.

"Don't go in there, Hara!" said Halima. "You don't know if he's in there or not. It's not like him to leave the door unlocked. You stay out here and wait for me to come back for you." The inside of the house was dark and with the gray atmosphere outside, it didn't provide much light. It was a bright gray, so it was known it was still day hours. Halima used her lantern to guide her while inside the house. Hara held the door open and peeked in to see Halima going down the stairs.

The wind from the gathering store was blowing in her ears; it was hard to hear anything. Halima's lantern disappeared from sight. Hara, assuming that the small house was safe, entered. She lit a couple of candles to see. She looked around for her the green orb she was instructed to get. She had no idea what it looked like, but it's not like Keeta would have anything like that on his own.

She hoped it wasn't downstairs. If he had really picked it up out of curiosity, he probably wouldn't take all that close care of it. She looked at the desk. There was a glass ball sitting upon it. 'No it couldn't be it….' Thought Hara. She trotted over and picked it up. She couldn't tell what color it was in the poor lighting. She held it up to the candle and saw the light penetrate the ball and saw it make a beautiful green spot on the floor. This had to be it!

When Iesl said 'orb' she assumed it would glow. But that was just something from a child's story. She found what she was looking for. Iesl would now teach her the things she yearned to know. She held it close and was about to depart when she heard the echoes coming from downstairs. She didn't follow them, but it sounded like crying. And it didn't sound like Halima either.

Hara inched closer down the stairs to remain hidden. She clutched the orb near her body. It was rather large. It was Keeta sobbing, she was sure of it. Just what happened? As she drew closer, she heard Keeta speaking.

"The general…all those men…and Hara and Igos' father…" Keeta said shakily. Hara never heard him like this before. 'Did something happen back home?' she thought.

"Have you told Igos yet?" asked Halima, sounding just as shaky as he did.

"How could I? Once I tell him he'll immediately assume the duties as King. He is the heir apparent. He is now the king of what's left of Ikana's kingdom." Hara quietly gasped. That could only mean one thing…

Halima's voice was on the edge of hysteria. "What _is_ left?"

"The castle near the waterfall…"

Everything hit Hara like a brick wall. Her home must have been destroyed along with everyone there. She was so overcome with fear now. Her brother was now the new king. But he wasn't ready. She knew it. Keeta knew it. Everyone knew it. Hara silently walked back up the stairs and outside.

"I will hold off telling him for the time being," said Igos, regaining composure.

"He will notice. Word will get to him eventually. It will seem strange when his father doesn't write to him anymore."

"I was told by a small group of men that were able to make it out. Fortunately they were stationed near the beach so they were able to make an almost secret escape. If they hadn't made it, we may not have ever known." Keeta stood. "I have made sure the stationed men would stay on the nearby beach to watch out for anymore survivors. They were rather lucky to make it here in the first place. It was no doubt by sheer chance."

"I don't know how I'm going to tell Hara…Hara! She's waiting for me outside." Halima jolted up. She brushed Keeta's tears off of her white robe.

Keeta put his hand on her shoulder and calmed her. "She will be fine. She will come in and stay out of the rain and be safe. We need to discuss what to do with Hara." Halima reluctantly nodded.

Hara swung the door open and turned to her left. She ran under the arch and up the winding path. She sat on top of the house as she did before, now with another item that had a connection to Iesl. I started to drizzle lightly. Then harder. And soon rain showered Hara and she held the orb close to her. She hugged it between her bent legs and rested her head face-down on it. She was so confused on what to feel she couldn't cry.


End file.
